LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena and U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati have said they expect Landon Donovan to return to the field. On Thursday, Arena finally put a timetable on Donovan’s return, indicating his captain might be back in uniform as early as April.

"He’ll be back at some point. I think we’ll reevaluate things in a couple weeks," Arena said via the club’s website. “But we expect to have Landon back in the near future, and by that I mean I would hope over the next couple of months we have that whole thing settled and he's back on the field playing for the Galaxy.”

Donovan, who will turn 31 next month, hasn’t played since the Dec. 1 MLS Cup final. He said repeatedly throughout the 2012 season that he needed a physical and mental break from the game and that he was unsure of his future. He has one year remaining on his current MLS contract.

“The time off has been good for him, and he’s going to be eager to get back on the field as well,” Arena said.

Donovan won his record-tying fifth MLS championship last year but played only six times for the U.S. national team (including two World Cup qualifiers) as injuries and fatigue took their toll. U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann has said he would welcome Donovan back but that in the meantime he has no choice but to move on without the program’s all-time leading scorer.

The U.S. opened the final round of qualifying Wednesday with a poor performance in a 2-1 loss to Honduras. That morning, Gulati said he had dinner with Donovan last month and that there is “no doubt he’ll play at some point.”

If Donovan returns in April, he theoretically would be available for the three World Cup qualifiers scheduled in June.

LA opens its MLS title defense March 3 vs. the Chicago Fire. It also is in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, where it faces Costa Rican club CS Herediano on March 7 and 13.